Telephone signaling system



Oct. 19 1926. 1,603,290

H. w. O'NEILL TELEPHONE S'IGNALING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 16, 1924 Patented a. 19,;1926

HENRY w. 'oNEILL or LMHURST, saw YCRK, ASSIGNOR To wris'rnnn' nnncrmc "COMPANY, INCORPORATED, on N WYORK; n. Y.,-A' CORPOBATI01\T 0E:1\TEW Y0RK. V

'rnnnrrronn SIGNALING SYSTEM.

' Application filed October 16, 1924, erial 1 1'o.. 743,883.

This invention relates lto telephone sy stems, and more particularlv. to signal receivin: equipments associated with toll line systems.

In the present practicelin regardlto toll line traffic. means are usually'pro'vided for disconnecting the incoming end of toll lines from one terminatingsignal rece ving equipment and connecting" it'to another'ter- 'minatinn equipment. The'rea'son for performing such transfers may arise from' a variety of causes. such asjfor example. the failure .of a particular terminal equipment to function properly, or the desire to rez'u late or equalize the traffic load between positionsv ata toll office. Whatever the'causes may be, it is not unlikely that the termlnat- ;inz eouipment to which a toll line is to' be transferred is not equipped to function with that particular type of toll line.- In these cases, suitable intermediate equipment such as composite ringer sets or othersignal translating devices have to be provided and inserted between minal equipment.

of this invention to overment that willfunctio'n with any type of toll line now in use and that maybe attached to any toll line by merely transferring the conductors of the toll line from any ordinary terminating equipment to the conductors of a terminating equipment arranged in accordance With'this invention. a 7 Another object is the provision of a terminating equipment of'the above type that will respond to' signaling'current incoming over a tollline regardless of the 'characteriof such signals,that is," the signalsjmay'be 1n the nature of alternating or direct current;

combinations of various frequencies or in fact any current that when received 1n the primary of the usual trans-former will induce alternating current in the secondary,

as for example, a voice 'mo'dul'atedcurrent.

Another "object of the invention is the provision of terminating equipments in which a part of the devices or apparatus used may becommonto' a plurality of individ'ual terminatingequipments; l

' To-attain these 'objectsin accord'ance with one feature of the invention, a rectifying device of the two pl'atersingle filament vacuum the toll lineand "the ter} when operating to cause the actuationofa Another feature is the provisionfof cir- :cuits whereby the above mentioned vacuum [tube 1s made" commonto a plurality of terminatingq'equipments. so that any number of such equipments may 7 function to operate the1r respective signals "simultaneously without "interference.

iAnother feature of this invention the 1 j provision of 'a circuit arrangement includ- 1m a transformer and the common .vacuum tube for the reception of any kind of signalv ing current. The primary of this transof a toll line andthe secondary s .connected I'Q'SDQQlZIVGlV at its outer terminals to'the nput terminals of thedouble-plate vacuum tube," while the central point of former is connected to the incoming end this winding" connected "throughjfthe 1 w1nd1ngfof'a pulsatin direct current re-r sponsive relay to the filament .i of the tube n such ,manner that any current changes in the primary w nding may by inducing an alternating current in the secondary 'windme cause a d rect fluctuating current to. pass through the relay 'andoperate the same. f

These andother features of the inventionwill become apparent in the following dc-lscrlpti'on which will be made in connection with the accompanying drawing in which the terminating circuit equipments of two toll lines are shown and arranged with*a common vacuum tube. i t

Referring now to the drawing the incOrha; iingend of the toll line 1" is shown connected to the primary of a transformer 2 of a termin'a ting equipment 50. V The secondary of this transformer'is arranged to terminate in acks 4', 5, and6, at an' -inward, afthrough,

and an outward position respectively' A signallamp Z and busy signal and associated-with the inward-jack & andfa lamp 9 andbusysigna'l 10 are associated 'withjacks 5'and 6 s key. ll for' transferringthe sigc 'nal operating, means from the inward posh 'tion to the throughgan'd outwardpositions is also shown" and arranged asis 'well kn'own n the art. A 'comm0n"vacuum tube 20" of therectifying type having'two plates and 'a .7 single filament is shown connected to the secondary of the transformer 2 and a relay 21 so that unidirectional 'currentis pro duced in the relay 21 in response to current changes in the toll line 1. The leads from the vacuum tube 20 are connected similarly part of this invention and is well known in the. art. It generally consists merely of patching jacks inserted in the toll line conductors and Qpatching cords by means of which a terminating equipment may be cut off from its toll line, and transferred to'another toll line or in case it is disabled another terminating equipment may be substi tuted therefor.

f The operation of the signals 7 or 3 in response to a signaling current received at the incoming end of a toll line 1 will now be described. It will be noted that any changes in the character of a current incoming over the conductors of the toll line 1, will when passing through the primary of transformer 2 induce an alternating current in the secondary windings of the transformer. Assuming then that when the change takes place in one direction, a current will be induced in the direction of the solid arrow shown at the upper part of the secondary winding. This current will then pass through this portion of the winding through the upper armature and back contact of relay 25. through the vacuum tube 20, from plate 26 to filament 27 thence through the winding of relay 21, back to the upper portion of the transformer, on the other hand no current will pass through the lower portion -of the secondary as the vacuum tube 20 will pass currents of but a single polarity as is well-known in the art. A change in the primary of the incoming current in the opposite direction will induce a current in the lower portion of the secondary in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow, causing this current to'flow from the lower portion of the secondary to the outer lower armature of relay 25, through the vacuum tube 20,

from plate 28 to filament 27 thence through the winding of relay 21 back to the lower portion of the secondary winding. It will ,thus be noted that for every change that takes place in the primary of transformer 2, a corresponding current is produced through the winding of relay 21 in the same direction. Relay 21 is so designed as to respond to any unidirectional current impulses through its winding and maintain its armature attracted even though such impulses be a comparatively unstable character. lVhen relay 21 operates it closes a circuit for relay 30 as follows: battery, lower winding of relay 30, armature and front contact of relay 21 to ground. Relay, 30 operates and closes a circuit for the busy signals 8 andlO as follows: battery, lower armature and front contact of relay 30. windings of signals 8 and 10 to ground; The operation of relay 30 also closes a circuit for signal 7 as follows: battery, make-before-break contacts of relay 25', upper armature and front contact of relay 30, upper armature and back contact of relay 31', through'the' lamp 7 to ground, causing this lamp to become illuminated to notify the inward operator that her attention is required at jack 4 of this particular trunk. Relay 30, W in operating its upper armature and front contact closes an obvious lockingcircuit' for 'itselfthrough its upper winding from the battery at the make-before-bre2ik contacts of relay 25.

hen now the inward toll operator re Y sponds to this signal by inserting a plug in jack 4 as is well-known in the art, a circuit is completed for relay 25 as follows: battery, at the inward operators cord circuit (not shown) through the sleeve contacts of the associated plug and the-jack 4 through the lower armatureand back contact of re lay 31, winding of relay '25 to ground. This causes the energization of relay 25 which now opens at its make-before-break contacts the locking circuit for relay 30. The circuit for lamp 7 is also broken at the makebefore-break contact of the relay '25 as is obvious causing the lamp to become eXtinguished. However, the circuit for busy signals 8 and 10 ismaintai ned operated, after the release of relay'30, from battery, supplied at the inner lower armature and front contact of relay 25. K

In case the inward operator desires to transfer the incoming call to the through operator or the outward operator, she op crates her transfer key 11 which closes an obvious circuit for relay 30 and 31, causing these two relays 'to-operat'e. As she re- 2 moves her plug from jack 4, relay 25 releases, causing the circuit to be completed for lamp 3 as follows: battery, make-be fore-break contact of relay 25, upper armain jack Laird the operation of relay in:

this instance causes the same actions to talxe place as previously mentioned to maintain busy signals 8 and 10 operated and to eX- tinguish lamp 3 and release. relays '31 and 30. It should be noted that when relay 25 operated inresponse to an insertion of a plug in jack 4,5, or 6, the circuit fromthe secondary of transformer 2, through the vacuum tube 20 is broken at the upper alrmature and back contact and the outer lower armature and back contact of th1s relay, so-

that even though a signaling current'may be present on the toll line, no current will flow through the winding of relay 21, and this relay will, consequently, release and have no further effect on relay 30, which,- as stated, is now free to release by. the opening of the locking circuit throug'h itsv upper winding to the battery-at the makebefore-break contacts of relay '25.

'As the terminating equipment 60 is 1dentical with the terminating equipment 50, no

I 'further descriptionis made' in regard to this equipment except to say that the leads 62, 63 and 64: from vacuum tube 20 are connected through the relays 25 and '21 and transformer 2 of this equipment in exactly, the same manner as they are. connected to j the corresponding parts of the terminating equipment 50. It should also be understood that these leads may be extended to as many other similar terminating equipments in the} toll otfice as may be desired, it being 1mmaterial as far as the'actionof the'vacuum" tube 20 is concerned how many terminatingnequipments are connected, and it is 6V1? dent that signals maybe received through any number of trunk lines simultaneously and cause the vacuumtube 20 to function wlthout any danger of having the signals interfere with each other, as this Vacuum tube merely serves as a means for the pas sage of current through the individual relays 21, 21 etc; of the various terminating equipments.

What is claimed is: v 1 1. In a signaling system, a vacuum tube rectifier and a pluralityvof signal r'espon-,

sive equipments, each of which includes a relay and a transformer connected to said rectifier so that signal ng current incoming to an individual signal responsive equip- Y ment will affect the operation of said relay and asignaling means actuated by'the operation of said relay. a I I 2. In a signaling system, a vvacuum tube rectifier and a plurality of signal responsive equipments, each of'vvhich includes a relay and a transformer connected to saidv rectifier so that signaling current incoming to an individual signal responsive equipment will producea uni-directional operating-current for said relay and a signaling means actuated by the operation of said relay.

3. In a signaling system, a vvacuum tube rectifier having two plates and a single fila-' sive equipments, each of which includes a cathode for the production of a unidirectional operating current for said relay when an alternating current is 1 induced in the secondary dueto acurrent. change in the primary of'said transformer'anda signaling means actuated said relay. v a

4:. In a signaling system, a plurality of toll lines, signals associated With the termisnatingends thereof, means for operating ,said-signals in response to incoming currents over said toll lines comprising a rectifying device common'to said tolllines, and

incoming current responsive means individual to each tollline arrangedto cooperate with thecommon rectifying device to cause the operation of the corresponding signals.

5. In a signaling system, a plurality of toll lines terminatingin signals, means for controlling said signals comprising a vacu-' um'tube rectifier common to said toll lines, a relay and atransformer individual to each toll line so arranged and connected with the common rectifier that current of any character ncomlng over a toll line w1ll produce a unldirectionaloperatmg current for the operation of the corresponding relay and means controlled byfsaid relay to actuate v the correspondingjsignals. In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 10th day of October A. D.,.

1924. ENRrW, :ONEILL.

by the operation of ment cathode, a plurality of signal r espon 1 

